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Sunday, August 1, 2010

Be Careful!! Tragedi ini Juga Boleh Menimpa Kita

Fires destroy 9 shops, 'swiftlet hotel'

Firemen in Pasir Mas are helpless to save a five-storey building and four shophouses for the lack of water nearby. — NST picture by Fazurawati Che Lah

KOTA BARU: Ten premises, including a five-storey building for swiftlets, were destroyed in separate fires here and in Pasir Mas on Saturday night, with losses estimated at more than RM1.5 million.

A woman, identified as Wan Hui Ann, was slightly injured when she jumped from the first floor of the five-storey building in Pasir Mas to escape the fire.

The 56-year-old woman was sent to Lati Hospital but only required outpatient treatment.

In the incident here, five shophouses in Jalan Zainal Abidin were destroyed by a fire that broke out at 8pm.

City fire station operations chief Azmi Mohamad said three of the shops were unoccupied.

He said 16 firemen in three engines sped to the scene after receiving an emergency call about 8.30pm.

"The five shophouses were already damaged when firemen arrived there. They took about 20 minutes to control the fire (and prevent it) from spreading to other nearby buildings," he said, adding that losses were estimated at nearly RM500,000.

Witness Eng Chen Chen, 72, said he was at the Buddhist Association office a few metres away when he saw smoke coming from the shophouses.

"The shophouses are located in front of my house and seeing this, I ran back to my house to save my two grandchildren.

"After saving them, I asked my neighbour to call the firemen while my other neighbours and I tried to put out the fire," he said.

In Pasir Mas, state Fire and Rescue Department director Azmi Osman said 40 firemen were sent to the scene of a fire at a row of four shophouses and a five-storey building.

He said the four shophouses comprised a sundry shop, a spare parts shop, a jewellery store and an optometry shop while the five-storey building was for swiftlets to nest.

"Firemen, who received an emergency call at 11.30pm, took about two hours to put out the fire as they faced difficulties getting water. They had to draw water from a nearby river to put out the fire."

Azmi said losses in the second fire were estimated at more than RM1 million.

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Urgent action needed against Penang swiftlet farming

Wednesday, 23 June 2010 19:41

Rebecca Duckett highlights the risks posed by swiftlet farming in the George Town world heritage site in a letter to the Penang Chief Minister.

As a resident of George Town and as a council member of the Penang Heritage Trust, I want to bring to your attention yet again, the problem of swiftlet farming in our urban areas. The National Guidelines For Swiftlet Breeding are to be presented to Cabinet very soon and there has been no public discussion whatsoever with stakeholders, residents or NGOs. This lack of transparency has to be addressed before any Guidelines for Swiftlet breeding can be passed.According to the June 2005 newsletter of the Malaysian Swiftlet Farmers Association, over 10% of houses - 400 houses- in George Town have been converted into swiftlet farms. The latest casual count estimates that these numbers could be closer to 20% of houses in George Town.

We do not oppose swiftlet farming in general; it is a very lucrative business which brings in approximately RM 1.5 billion per year. However, the damage urban swiftlet farming in George Town is doing to our "intangible heritage", by moving people out of buildings in order to open swiftlet farms, and to our "tangible heritage" by destroying the original features of the “exceptional range of shophouses and townhouses” that gave us our WHS listing in the first place is too great to be ignored.

Swiftlet farming encourages swiftlets to nest in a particular house, in order to harvest the nests that they build there. These nests are then sold on at an extremely lucrative price, to be used as the main ingredient in birds nest soup. We are not opposing the practice of swiftlet farming in general but we want it relocated from George Town into less populated, agricultural areas, for the following reasons:

1) Health concerns, including but not limited to:

- CryptococcusDried bird droppings and bird’s nests have been known to harbour the yeast spore Cryptococcus, which ideally forms colonies at 20 - 37°C (perfect for Georgetown) and which is responsible for infections in human beings. Inhalation of Cryptococcus spores cause lung infections, cryptococcal meningitis and pneumonia in healthy children and adults, and is particularly dangerous to anyone who is immuno-compromised.King, Dr. John W. and DeWitt, Meredith L., “Cryptococcosis,” http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/215354-overview, October 30th, 2009

- Avian FluAvian flu, or H5N1, is a rare but severe disease that can be fatal. The last person diagnosed with avian flu was in Vietnam on 16th March of this year. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), “all birds are thought to be susceptible to infection with avian influenza viruses”. It is possible that the avian flu virus could be introduced to swiftlets in George Town from migratory waterfowl, which scientists believe are “now carrying the H5N1 virus in its highly pathogenic form, sometimes over long distances.”

The WHO states: “Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Malaysia have controlled their outbreaks and are now considered free of the disease. Elsewhere in Asia, the virus has become endemic in several of the initially affected countries.” However, there is no reason to suggest that swiftlets coming into contact with infected migratory birds from other parts of Asia will not contract H5N1. Living in such close proximity to one another, contaminated swiftlets would quickly transfer the disease between themselves, increasing the chances for human infection either via direct contact with contaminated birds or contaminated feces, the two most common sources of infection. World Health Organisation, “Avian influenza “bird flu”,” http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/avian_influenza/en/#countries, February 2006

- Dengue Fever

Pools of water created by swiftlet farmers to ensure an ideal humidity and temperature for the birds also create perfect breeding grounds for mosquitos, including Aedes Mosquitos, which carry Dengue Fever. Outbreaks in George Town on specific streets have recently been very common.

2) The danger swiftlet farming poses to George Town’s Unesco status:

- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. George Town’s World Heritage Site status is not just a label that will increase tourism, but a treaty signed to conserve the unique “intangible heritage” of George Town.

However, homes that are converted into birdhouses suffer irreparable damage, as original windows, doors, plasterwork and features are removed, and sprinkler systems are set up to keep the house humid. This not only causes water damage, damp and rot to that house, but also to adjacent properties, thereby threatening the “unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia...in particular [the] exceptional range of shophouses and townhouses” which gave George Town WHS status in the first place.

Puan Maimunah, as Acting General Manager to the George Town World Heritage Office, has stated that: “personally, the swiftlet industry poses a conflict to the World Heritage Site listing, and possibly needs to be relocated”. If action is not taken against urban swiftlet farming, and George Town “loses the characteristics which determined its inscription on the World Heritage List” it may be placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger or have its status as a World Heritage Site revoked. The Site listing undoubtedly brings more tourism and therefore more money to our city. The loss of our architecture and/or listing would negatively impact on tourism and harm the economy of George Town.

3) Noise pollution:

- The sound systems used to attract swiftlets by playing amplified birdsong continuously constitutes noise pollution, which is a nuisance for residents of and visitors to George Town. However, in recent months, the main source of noise pollution is the birds themselves because numbers have soared and are now out of control. The sky above residences in George Town are full of birds emitting piercing sounds especially in the early hours of morning, late afternoon and evening.

Responsibility of the Penang state government and its departments:

The Penang State Government controls the future of George Town. The decisions made now have long term consequences. In order to address these consequences, we urgently request that the State Government of Penang keeps to and enforces, the terms of the extended moratorium on Swiftlet breeding in George Town, that states that operators cannot start any new swiftlet farms in George Town. The moratorium was set up to halt the proliferation of swiftlet houses in George Town, not as a open bill for them to proliferate freely. The breeders are openly setting up new farms all over George Town. By condoning and allowing this to happen the State Government and MPPP accepts that it is responsible for any negative impact on public health and environment.

We request that the State Government creates a heft annual tax to be paid by each individual urban swiftlet farm until they have moved from the urban areas of George Town on or before the deadline set by the State Government. This tax creates a fund which can then be used when an outbreak of Avian Flu H5N1, Crytococcus or other disease relating to birds, breaks out enabling the State Government to act on any emergency measures needed for this outbreak or environmental disaster cleanup. For the swiftlet farmers, this tax payment will mark their dedication to the maintenance of their farms health and safety measures and further reinforces their responsibility and belief that swiftlet farming in urban areas amongst a dense human population, poses no dangers to humans. Non payment of this tax allows the State Government to forcibly close down the swiftlet farm.

We also insist that in addition, the State Government as a whole, with the Heads of the Veterinary Department and Public Health, be made personally responsible for any environmental and health and safety issues that will arise from the spiralling increase in the population of swiftlets over George Town and the environmental disaster that will take place within the next few years, if swiftlet farms are not removed immediately from our urban areas. The State Government and the Heads of the Veterinary Department and Public Health will also be personally responsible to pay any compensation required in events of death from any bird related disease, outbreak of disease, as well as the loss of investment made by stakeholders who have put huge investments into the belief that George Town will benefit from its Unesco World Heritage Status and is currently being marketed as a tourist destination and world class heritage site by the Penang State Government. Loss of investment should also include, but not be limited to, being forced to move from buildings because of an individuals fear to his/her own personal health and safety.

Laws are being enforced by the State Government on developers, on residents, on landlords that are trying to revitalise George Town as a residential, cultural, heritage and tourist hub, yet swiftlet farms are being allowed to proliferate freely, beyond the realms of law. The State Government must act with a balanced hand.

I would request your immediate assistance in lobbying the Malaysian Government to sign into law, guidelines explicitly prohibiting swiftlet farming in George Town and urban areas, and to act on bringing current owners of swiftlet farms in urban areas to justice. The health and safety of the rakyat and Malaysia's precious environment should be foremost in any Government initiative. Moving swiftlet farming out of George Town and urban areas is in keeping with the State Government of Penang's initiative for a "Cleaner, Greener, Penang" and must be viewed with long term benefit to all the rakyat, all cultures, all tangible and intangible heritage in George Town and our urban areas.Rebecca Duckett is a council member of the Penang Heritage Trust

Edible-nest Swiftlet Collocalia fuciphaga

Edible-nest Swiftlet Collocalia fuciphaga
Wat Chong Lom, Samut Sakhon, Bangkok
The Edible-nest Swiftlet Collocalia fuciphaga is found throughout S E Asia and is renowned for the fact that the birds’ nests are used for making bird’s nest soup. During the breeding season, the salivary glands of this species expand to produce the special saliva for binding detritus together for building the nest, which is a shallow cup stuck to the cave wall. Nests which are ‘white’ and made purely or almost purely of saliva - like those of the Edible-nest Swiftlets above - are the most valued. When cooked, the birds’ nests have a gelatinous texture and in Chinese cuisine high medicinal and aphrodisiac qualities are ascribed to these nests. Scientific investigations reveal these nests to be high in protein with about 7% lime. Many consumers of bird nest soup report significant improvement in appetite. However, some others noticed excessive secretion of gastric acid that may cause acid reflux symptoms.
Nests are harvested from cave walls and there is increasing concern that over-harvesting is causing several species of cave swiftlets to become scarce. Bird nest merchants in southeast Asia (including Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand) have started to raise and breed the swiftlets in house-like structures. They build the shelters to attract wild swiftlets to build nests in them. The “wrong” kind of nests are then destroyed along with the eggs inside. Over time, the selection process only leaves behind a colony of swiftlets that produce the right kind of nest for the trade. “House nests” are priced much lower than the “cave nests” due to the level of risks involved in the harvesting process of the latter. (Adapted from Birding India: Edible-nest Swiftlet)

Culinary useof edible-nest swiftlets nest

Authentic bird's nest soup is made from nests of some species of swiftlet, mainly the Edible-nest (or White-nest) swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus) and the Black-nest Swiftlet. Instead of twigs, feathers and straw, these swiftlets make their nest only from strands of their gummy saliva, which harden when exposed to air. Once the nests are harvested, they are cleaned and sold to restaurants. Eating swiftlet nest material is believed to help maintain skin tone, balance qi ("life energy") and reinforce the immune system. It is also believed to strengthen the lungs and prevent coughs, improve the constitution and prolong life. The nutritional value of 100 g of dry nest includes 49.9 g of water-soluble protein (including amido nitrogen, monoamine nitrogen, non-amino nitrogen, arginine, humin, histidine, lysine and cysteine), 30.6 g carbohydrate (glycoprotein and mucin), 4.9 g iron, 2.5 g inorganic salt (including potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, phosphorus, silica and other trace elements), and 1.4 g fiber (Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The History of Chinese Medicine and the Nutrition Table).
The energy contained in 100 g of swiftlet nest is 345 kcal. The nests are often served simmered in chicken broth.
Authentic bird's nest soup is quite popular throughout Asia. It is also extremely expensive; many western restaurants serve a less expensive version consisting of soup with noodles shaped to resemble a bird's nest.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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1. The Issue
Trade of Swiftlet nests began in China during the T'ang
Dynasty (A.D. 618-907). China is the prime consumer of a soup made
from these nests (bird's nest soup), which is considered the
"caviar of the East" until a policy of austerity under communist
rule discouraged such extravagance. Recent relaxation of controls
in the PRC has led to a surge in demand for Bird's Nest Soup.
China is importing enormous amounts of ingredients for the soup
from countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. This is now
threatening the swift populations and has led CITES to consider
adding the bird and its nest to its lists of endangered species.
2. Description
Chinese have been eating the nest of the Swiftlet, a bird
about the size of a sparrow found in Southeast Asia and the Indian
Subcontinent, for over 1,000 years. The Edible-nest, Indian
Edible-nest and Black-nest Swiftlets weave a nest from strands of
saliva: the male regurgitates a long, thin gelatinous strand from
salivary glands under its tongue which is then wound into a half-
cup nest which bonds like quick-drying cement to the inside of a
cave wall. Swiftlet nests are (usually) carefully removed from
the cave wall. The nests are relatively tasteless and so are
usually served in soup or jelly, mixed with chicken, spices, sauce
or sweets. For centuries in China these nests have been considered
nourishing and tasty as well as a booster of health for the sick
and aging; they are even believed to be an aphrodisiac.
The harvesting of Swiftlet nests is a potentially hazardous
occupation. They are collected from high, dark caves by special
collectors who climb up and balance on bamboo poles attached to
steep cliffs. These cliffs reach hundreds of feet in height. This
is a traditional occupation and the skill of nest collection is
generally passed down from father to son.
Biochemist Kong Yun-Cheng at the Chinese University of Hong
Kong conducted a chemical analysis of the soup which revealed that
there is a water-soluble glyco-protein in the nest which promotes
cell division within the immune system. However, it is destroyed
during the cleaning process. Therefore, the soup is actually of
low nutritive value.
Nevertheless, the market for these nests is booming. Prices
have doubled in recent years. China was traditionally the biggest
importer of birds' nests until the Communist revolution when the
soup was frowned upon as a bourgeois extravagance (see SHARK case).
Today Hong Kong is the biggest official consumer of birds' nests,
importing about 100 tons (grossing about $25 million) annually. In
Hong Kong 55 pounds of top quality white nests (the most prized)
can be worth $50,000. The value of the nest has become so great
that harvesters no longer wait until eggs or chicks depart the
nest. Both are simply discarded and the nest taken. This practice
has decimated many younger bird populations in some areas.
Not all nests are created equal. Black nests are the lowest
grade of Swiftlet nest since they must be cleaned to remove
feathers. They are considerably less expensive than white nests.
The nests are so valued that shipments are usually shrouded in
secrecy for fear of hijackers. It is believed that there is a
"world kingpin" or at least a key group of brokers in Kowloon, Hong
Kong who control much of international trade in Swiftlet nests.
This kingpin is supposed to have contracts with governments, kings,
princes and private owners of islands.
The rising price and rising demand for these nests have
resulted in a decline in the swiftlet population. Poachers and the
cutting down of forests where Swiftlets feed contribute to the
decline. Indonesia is the biggest supplier of swiftlet nests with
Thailand ranking second, followed by Vietnam, Singapore, Burma,
Malaysia, southern India and Sri Lanka. In most nest-producing
countries swiftlet colonies are dwindling. Kong Yun-Cheng argues
that if harvesting continues at its current rate the species may
die out in 5 to 10 years.
Nest harvesters in Indonesia have developed the practice of
"farming" which entails buying up houses with colonies of Mossy-
nest Swiftlets which are cross-fostered: the eggs of White-nest
Swiftlets are placed in these nest colonies. Once mature the
White-nest Swiftlets return to the house and establish a colony.
While Indonesian nest traders claim that a third of nests exported
from Indonesia come from these farms, researchers of the World Wide
Fund for Nature believe the farms produce far less.
While the Edible-nest and Black-nest Swiftlet are not yet on
the endangered species lists of either CITES or the IUCN, there are
measures which attempt to protect them. Supplier countries have
domestic legislation to regulate importing/exporting, hunting,
poaching, and selling of Swiftlet nests. For example, since 1934
there has been an ordinance in Sarawak, Malaysia which permits the
nests to be harvested only every 75 days. Currently in Sabah only
2 harvests per year of White-nest Swiftlets are allowed. Despite
policies to protect the bird their numbers continue to decline,
probably a result of illegal trade which counts for a substantial
percentage of harvested nests. The World Wide Fund for nature
is currently preparing a proposal for the 1994 meeting of the
Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Flora
and Fauna (CITES) which will be held in the United States. The
proposal will recommend that the Swiftlet species be placed on
CITES' Appendix II (threatened species).

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Echolocation of Edible-nest Swiftlets

The genus, Aerodramus was thought to be the only echolocating swiftlets. These birds use echolocation to locate their roost in dark caves. Unlike a bat’s echolocation, Aerodramus swiftlets make clicking noises that are well within the human range of hearing. The clicks consist of two broad band pulses (3-10 kHz) separated by a slight pause (1-3 milliseconds).
The interpulse periods (IPPs) are varied depending on the level of light; in darker situations the bird emits shorter IPPs, as obstacles become harder to see, and longer IPPs are observed when the bird nears the exit of the cave. This behavior is similar to bats as they approach targets.
The birds also emit a series of low clicks followed by a call when approaching the nests; presumably to warn nearby birds out of their way. It is thought that the double clicks are used to discriminate between individual birds. Aerodramus sawtelli, the Atiu Swiftlet, and Aerodramus maximus, the Black-nest Swiftlet are the only known species which emit single clicks. The single click is thought be used to avoid voice overlap during echolocation.
The use of a single click might be associated with an evolutionary shift in eastern Pacific swiftlets; determining how many clicks the Marquesan Swiftlet emits, could shed light on this. It was also discovered that both the Atiu Swiftlet (Fullard, 1993) and the Papuan Swiftlet (Price et al., 2005) emit clicks while foraging outside at dusk; the latter possibly only in these circumstances considering it might not nest in caves at all. Such behavior is not known to occur in other species (Fullard, 1993) but quite possibly goes given that the Papuan and Atiu Swiftlets are not closely related.
However, it has recently been determined that the echolocation vocalizations do not agree with evolutionary relationship between swiftlet species as suggested by DNA sequence comparison (Thomassen & Povel, 2006). This suggests that as in bats, echolocation sounds, once present, adapt rapidly and independently to the particular species' acoustic environment.
Three hypotheses are considered to describe how echolocation evolved in the genus Aerodramus and, as determined more recently, other taxa in the Apodidae. One hypothesis states that echolocation evolved from an ancestral species of swiftlets and was lost in the genera which lack echolocation. A second hypothesis is that echolocation evolved independently several times. The third scenario involves a combination of the first two, i.e. a gain-loss-regain scenario.
Several functional subunits (like vocal muscles and brain areals) are needed to produce the echolocating system. Past studies have thought that the loss of one of these subunits was more likely to occur than acquiring all the traits needed to echolocate. But a recent study (Thomassen et al., 2005) suggests that the echolocation subunits were mainly located in the central nervous system, while the subunits in the vocal apparatus were already present and capable of use before echolocation even evolved.
This study supports the second hypothesis of independent evolution of echolocation in Aerodramus and Collocalia, with the subsequent evolution of complex behavior needed to complement the physical echolocation system, or even the third approach, as the vocal apparatus-parts of the echolocation system might even be inherited from some prehistoric nocturnal ancestor.
petikan dari Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pengunjung Kami..sejak 15 Januari 2010

Perihal Burung Layang-layang Gua

OTHER COMMON NAMES- Petikan Answers.com
English: Gray-rumped swiftlet, white-nest swiftlet, Hume's swiftlet; French: Salangane à nid blanc; German: Weißnestsalangane; Spanish: Salangana Nidoblanco.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
4.6 in (12 cm); 0.4–0.6 oz (10–15 g). Glossy blackish brown upperparts sometimes with lighter rump; underparts are mostly brownish gray with lighter throat and blackish undertailcoverts.
DISTRIBUTION
Southeast Asia and Indonesia, from Andaman and Nicobar Islands through coastal south Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo to Lesser Sundas.
HABITAT
Widespread in coastal lowlands but in some places at elevations to 3,280–9,000 ft (1,000 to 2,800 m). Coastal mangroves, cultivated areas, and lowland forest.
BEHAVIOR
Gregarious and often associates with other swiftlets and swallows when foraging.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Aerial arthropods, including a wide array of insects and spiders.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeding season is lengthy and peaks in the dryer season of the year. Nests are self-supporting brackets made almost completely of the sticky salivary mucilage. Usually two eggs are laid and incubation period is 25.5 days for the first egg and 22.5 days for the second; the fledging period is 43 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
In areas where unregulated repetitive nest harvesting is taking place, populations as well as harvesting yields are sharply declining by as much as 85% over a 12-year period.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS- petikan article dari Yamaha Groups
Nest-harvesting provides substantial economic benefits to local human populations.
Why we need swallow nest food
Although scientific evidence of benefits of the swallow bird nest is still inadequate, the positive effects have been seen throughout generations. It is believed that the bioactive compound present in the chemical make up of the nest can play an important role in creating refreshment effect. Sophisticated technology such as HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) and GC-MS (Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrophotometer) have identified such effect.
The investigations have provided good scientific evidence that supports the notion that the bird's nest can facilitate growth, replenish strength and vital energy, accelerate the recovery from disease and reinforce immunity. The specific animal proteins in an edible bird's nest have the following three functions :
1. To stimulate the regeneration of cells
2. To enhance cell-mediated immunity
3. To enhance the resistance of an individual to X-irradiated damage
The composition of swallow bird nest is made up of 50% glycoprotein. Glycoprotein is a biomolecule composed of a protein and carbohydrate. Glycoprotein are important for immune cell recognition especially in humans. They are found in antibodies (immunoglubulins), in connective tissue, and in mucins which are secreted in respiratory and digestive tracts. So in essence, bird nests consumptions may provide health benefits, such as aiding digestion, raising libido, improving voice, alleviating asthma, increasing concentration, improving cell regeneration and an overall benefit to the immune system. In addition, the swallow bird's nest has also complete amino acid, comprising 17 important, semi important and inessential amino acids. Based on these important findings and continuously research (which has been reached to the western scientific medical world), it has presumed the swallow bird's nest may further explore to see possibilities to cop cancers, heart strikes, and even HIV/AIDS infectious disease.
The bird's nest help regulate the function of the endocrine system as well as other body functions. They strengthen the body, moisturize the skin, maintain beauty, rovide energy and enhance the metabolism of fat. The bird's nests are adaptable for either sex or any age group.
The consumption of bird's nest during pregnancy can increase nutrition and improve the overall health of the mother and child and will give the infant a flexible mind. Woman consuming bird's nest after giving birth can recover more quickly and slim rapidly to help maintain their beauty.
The stomach and spleen of newborns function weakly. This can easily cause diarrhea and the loss of appetite. Feeding the newborns with bird's nest that has been dissolved in milk can improve these deficiencies. Babies that are 6 month old can be fed with rice porridge or congee containing bird's nest.
Children require more nutrition during their growing period. Being fed with bird's nests can help strengthen the body and stimulate the growth of the brain. Edible bird's nest not only tastes good but when served with rock sugar, fresh milk or oatmeal aids digestion and constipation.
For youngsters, always consuming bird's nest can enhance metabolism, strengthen various body functions and reinforce immunity. Besides, it can also smooth the skin and maintain eternal beauty. People, who are highly stressed and are busy in study and work can alleviate tiredness, relieve spiritual pressure and recover body strength through always consuming bird's nest.
Bird's nests are also beneficial to people who have just recovered from illness, who are old and weak, who suffer from asthma and who are always catching the cold or influenza. A regular diet of bird's nest can help alleviate the trachea, smooth breathing, benefit the control of asthma, expel phlegm, recover vital energy and extend longevity. It is particularly effective to those who have sleep disorders, bronchitis, coughs or hangovers. Bird's nests also show obvious therapeutic effects to help moisturize and replenish the lung and clear away intestinal heat.

Breeding of Edible-nest Swiftlets

ABSTRACT

A colony of the Edible-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus nesting in a Chinese shophouse in Penang, Peninsular Malaysia, was studied for seven months.

Birds bred throughout, but laying was concentrated in the period October to February. Incubation and fledging periods were 23 ± 3 days and 43 + 6 days, respectively.

Most young hatched during the dry season. The normal clutch size was two, with many birds laying second clutches (75%) and some third clutches (15-4%) using the same nest.Clutch size showed no variation with clutch order or month.

The overall hatching success was 69-0 %, most losses caused by eggs falling from or with the nest. Fledging success was similar for broods of two (625%) and broods of one (59-4%),so that the former were twice as productive.

The main loss of chicks occurred when they fell from the nest and were eaten by mammalian predators. There was a tendency for breeding success to decline with successive clutches, but not with month, being highest in November (53-6 %) and February (55-6 %)

The growth rate of single chicks and successful broods of two was similar, except that the second chick was more prone to fluctuations in weight. Some second chicks showed evidence of starvation before falling from the nest

Diet was examined by analysis of foodballs regurgitated by mist-netted adults. Foodballs weighed 0–13-1 08 g and, on average, contained over 500 prey items. The main arthropods caught were Hymenoptera (40-8%), Ephemeroptera (26-4%), Homoptera (15-4%) and Diptera (7-7%). Flying ants and mayflies contributed most by weight, although figwasps and mayflies were the most numerous prey items.

Only in December did the percentage of moulting mist-netted adult swiftlets fall below 70 %. It appeared that many birds were moulting and breeding simultaneously, although 21% of birds had primaries moulting in two places, suggesting arrested moult.

Diurnal activity showed a normal high dawn exodus and dusk inflow of birds, although there was evidence of an increase of birds flying out prior to the dusk inflow. Nest harvesting was continued throughout the study, but most of the marked nests under study were left undisturbed.

Nigel Langham 1 1 School of Natural Resources, University of the South Pacific, P.O. Box 1168, Suva, Fiji Copyright 1980 British Ornithologists Union-

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Guidelines on swiflet nest farming issued

PUTRAJAYA:
Swiftlet nests, reportedly reaping RM1.5mil a month, will not be allowed to be cultivated in housing as well as in public and recreational areas under guidelines issued by the Government yesterday.
The guidelines, however, are only applicable to birdhouse operators in the peninsula.
“Sabah and Sarawak have their own state provisions governing the industry and their bird nests are harvested from the wild,” said Science, Technology and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Law Hieng Ding.
Birdhouses must only be built on agricultural land or in light industrial areas and the use of loudspeakers to lure the birds is also prohibited, according to the new Guidelines on Swiftlets’ Nest Industry.
Law said the guidelines was to ensure the farming and collection of edible swiftlets’ nests from buildings do not become a nuisance and a health hazard.
“It is also to ensure that the collection and farming do not jeopardise or reduce the species’ population,’” he told reporters after launching the guidelines at his office here.
Law said the guidelines were, however, voluntary in nature. But the authorities could still act against errant operators because the swiftlets, of the white nest and black nest species, were protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.
“The industry is also subjected to the Uniform Building Bylaws 1986, the Destruction of Disease Bearing Insects Act 1975 and Health Department regulations.
“Birdhouse operators must get premise licence from their local authorities, a collection of birds nest license and a trading of birds nest license from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks,” he said.
Malaysia Bird’s Nests Merchants Association president John Chen said: ”Our production is around 200kg to 300kg per month.”

Edible-nest Swiftlets

By Charlie • September 15, 2007 • 6 comments
Wat Chong Lom or Wat Sutthi Wata Wararam fronts the river mouth at Tambon Tha Chalom on the western side of the Tha Chin River. It was constructed during the Ayutthaya period, and the religious buildings in the temple have been beautifully renovated. Apart from the aesthetic qualities of the temple complex, the site is well-known amongst birders for its colony of Edible-nest Swiftlets Collocalia fuciphaga. The colony is located high up in the roof of the shrine of one of the temple’s founders, and is guarded at all times to stop thieves stealing the valuable nests - the main ingredient of ‘bird’s nest soup’ (for more “info” see below).
The colony has been using this building for thirty years, and some nests are harvested annually to pay for the protection of the colony and for tubs of mealworms used to feed very young swiftlets (see bottom photo) that are routinely found on the temple floor and are looked after until (hopefully) they fledge. Donations are very welcome from visitors of course.
(Samut Sakhon is located about 28 kms. from Bangkok along Highway no. 35, the Thon Buri-Pak Tho Highway. It is also accessible by train from the Wongwian Yai Railway Station in Bangkok.)